It's been nearly a week since a pair of local doctors held a news conference, calling for shelter-in-place orders to be lifted across the state.
23ABC's video of that press conference had garnered more than 5 million views on YouTube, but last night YouTube removed that video stating it violated YouTube community guidelines.
SHELTER-IN-PLACEORDERS TO BE LIFTED ACROSS THESTATE.23ABC'S VIDEO OF THAT PRESSCONFERENCE HAD GARNERED MORETHAN 5 MILLION VIEWS ON YOUTUBE... BUT LAST NIGHT--YOUTUBE REMOVED THAT VIDEOSTATING IT VIOLATEDYOUTUBE COMMUNITY GUIDELINES.23ABC'S BAYAN WANG HAS BEENFOLLOWING THIS DEVELOPMENTAND JOINS US LIVE FROM NORTHWESTBAKERSFIELDNOW.
BAYAN.JESSICA -- WHEN THE DOCTORS NEWSCONFERENCE WASREMOVED FROM OUR YOUTUBE ACCOUNT-- WE'VE BEEN GETTINGNONE STOP CALLS FROM CONCERNEDVIEWERSACCUSING US FOR VIOLATINGFREEDOM OF SPEECH LAWS --BUT THAT WASN'T THE CASE.YOUTUBE CONFIRMED THATTHEY REMOVED THE VIDEO BECUASETHEY SAY THE CONTENTVIOLATED COMMUNITY GUIDELINES..AND NOW THEREMOVAL OF THE VIDEO HAS ONCEAGAIN CAUGHT NATIONALATTENTION."DO WE NEED TO SHELTER IN PLACE,EMPHATICALLY NO, DO WE NEEDBUSINESSESSHUTDOWN, EMPHATICALLY NO"THIS IS A PORTION OF THE51-MINUTE VIDEO IN WHICH DOCTORSDANERICKSON AND ARTIN MASSIHI HELDA NEWS CONFERENCE ..MAKING CONTROVERSIAL STATEMENTSABOUT LIFTINGSHELTER IN PLACE ORDERS -- THEVIDEO RECEIVED OVER 5 MILLIONVIEWS ON YOUTUBE , BUT THATVIDEO WAS ABRUPTLY TAKENDOWN BY YOUTUBE FOR CONTENT THEYSAY VIOLATEDYOUTUBE POLICY.YOUTUBE SENT US THIS STATEMENTSAYING IN PART, THE CONTENTEXPLICITLY DISPUTES THE EFFICACYOF LOCAL HEALTHAUTHORITY'S RECOMMENDATIO NS ONON SOCIAL DISTANCING THATMAY LEAD OTHERS TO ACT AGAINSTTHAT GUIDANCE.JOSEPH RUSSOMANNO, A MASSCOMMUNICATIONLAW PROFESSOR AT ARIZONA STATEUNIVERSITY SAYS THE DOCTORSCONTROVERSIAL COMMENTS PLAYED AROLE.IT WOULD SEEM TO ME WHATYOUTUBE'SCONCERN IS, IS THE POTENTIALHARM THAT THIS VIDEO MAYCONTAIN, IF YOU LOOKAT IT,..
THE CONTENT OF IT ISCONTRARY TO WHAT MOST MEMBERS OFTHE MEDICALCOMMUNTY ARE SAYING ABOUT COVID19.BUT WITH OVER 1 BILLION USERSAND A HAVEN FOR EXPRESSION ISYOUTUBE CONSIDERED A PUBLICFORUM THAT SHOULDUPHOLD FREEDOM OF SPEECH."THERE ARE THOSE THAT WOULDARGUE THAT THOUGH ITSNOT THE SAME AS THE OLD TIMETOWNSQUARE SETTING, THAT INA DIGITAL AGE IN A SOCIAL MEDIAAGE, THAT IT HAS INFACT TAKENTHEPLACE OF THAT AND SHOULD BECONSIDERED A PUBLIC FORUM."BUT ACCORDING TO A 2017 FEDERALCOURT CASE INVOLVINGCONSERVATIVE NON-PROFITOGRGANIZATION PRAGER UVERSUS YOUTUBE.
YOUTUBECONTENDED THAT THE FIRSTAMENDMENT SHOULD NOT DICTATE HOWTHEY MODERATECONTENT ON THEIR PLATFORM.THE COURT RULED IN FAVOR OFYOUTUBE -- WHO REMOVEDPRAGERU VIDEOS THAT WERE MADEWITH A CONSERVATIVEPERSPECTIVE.23ABC NEWS HAS APPEALEDYOUTUBE'S DECISION TO PULLDOWN THE VIDEO.MEANWHILE..
DOCTOR ERICKSON TOLDME THAT HE IS NOTSUPRISED THAT HIS INTERVIEW WASREMOVED -- THAT HE KNOWSHE WAS PUSHING AGAINST THE GRAIN-- AND THAT THIS IS WHAT HEEXPECTED.NOW IF YOU WANT TO WATCH THEFULL PRESS-CONFERENCE..YOU CAN STILL WATCH IT ON OURWEBSITE TURNTO23DOTCOM, OUR FACEBOOK PAGE, OR ANY OFOUR STREAMING SERVICESINCLUDING ROKU, ANDROID ANDAPPLE TV.FOR NOW LIVE IN NORTHWESTBAKERSFIELD, BAYAN WANG23ABC CONNECTING YOU.GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOM ANNOUNCINGEARLIER TODAY
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